Florida produces a large percentage of the world's supply of grapefruit and about a quarter of the world's supply of oranges. Of the oranges that are produced in Florida, the Valencia orange is the leading commercial fruit. Most of the Valencia oranges produced in Florida are processed into frozen orange juice concentrate. Unlike Valencia oranges, navel oranges comprise only about five percent of the total number of oranges produced in Florida and are grown primarily for the fresh fruit market.
The most distinctive anatomical characteristic of navel orange fruit is the presence of the navel in the apex of the fruit. The navel results from a small, rudimentary secondary fruit embedded in the primary fruit. The navel orange tree is the only kind of orange tree which consistently produces fruit with navels.
In Florida, navel orange fruit matures in November and December. The parent Green Diamond Navel tree is more than fifty years old. The trunk of the tree is 45.5 inches in circumference and the height of the tree is approximately 19.5 feet. The canopy of the tree is approximately 19 feet and 9 inches. The tree is a constant bearer and does not require cross pollination. The blooms of the tree produce pollen.
The trees of the twenty-five acre block of trees where the parent Green Diamond Navel tree is planted are Valencia orange trees and Hamlin orange trees. Approximately fifteen acres are planted in Valencia orange trees and ten acres are planted in Hamlin orange trees. The Green Diamond Navel orange tree is within the Valencia section of the block. Eight-five percent of the planted trees were planted at the same time, approximately fifty years ago. The inventor is responsible for any reset trees in the block. The reset trees which are present are obviously smaller and stand out among the orignial old trees.
The parent Green Diamond Navel tree was mature when discovered and had been bearing fruit for many years. The parent tree is grafted budwood and the entire tree exhibits the novel characteristics described. Because the surrounding trees planted in the same block of the grove are Valencia orange trees and all of the trees were planted at the same time, the budwood source of the parent tree was probably Valencia. There are no Washington navels grown in the grove currently, nor were any present years ago when the parent tree was planted. Because the fruit of the instant tree is distinctively different from a Washington navel, for example, in taste and size, the instant tree is not a sport of a Washington navel. The parent tree is grafted onto rough lemon stock, as determined by citrus experts, including U.S.D.A. citrus research personnel. The parent tree is located in a cultivated grove in Polk County, Fla., approximately three miles east of Dundee, Fla.
The Green Diamond Navel clones produced from budwood of the parent tree have been grafted onto Milan, Swingle Citrumelo and Smooth Flat Seville rootstocks. The clones exhibit a very vigorous growth rate that is markedly different from any other species in the inventor's nursery under the same growing conditions. The clones were asexually reproduced by the inventor in early 1993 in the inventor's citrus nursery near Dundee, Fla. The clones have the same morphological characteristics of the parent tree, including the distinctive leaf characteristics and the navel fruit.
The Green Diamond Navel has characteristics which are distinctive from other types of navels, such as the Lang navel, the Washington navel and the DPI (Department of Plant Industry) navel. The fruit of the Green Diamond Navel differs from all other navels in that the fruit of the Green Diamond Navel is ripe in the warm summer months of May, June and July, whereas other navels ripen in the Fall and winter months of November and December. The size of the fruit of the Green Diamond Navel is distinctly different from the large-sized Washington navel. Washington navels have large fruit with average diameters of 3.5 to 4 inches, whereas DPI navel fruit averages from 3.25 to 3.5 inches in diameter, and the Green Diamond Navel has fruit with average diameter of 3.25 to 3.38 inches. Washington navel fruit is not only larger in size, but also has a thicker rind, a different color and a different taste from the Green Diamond Navel fruit.
The Green Diamond Navel has characteristics which are also distinctive from Valencia orange trees. The most distinctive characteristic is the navel structure which is always present in the fruit of the Green Diamond Navel. The navel is small, and approximately seventy-five percent of the navels are closed and even. The smell of the Green Diamond Navel fruit is very distinctive from that of a Valencia fruit. Unlike Valencia fruit, the Green Diamond Navel fruit is virtually seedless. In twenty-four random samples only 2 seeds were found.